Abstract
BackgroundEffective and applicable predictors of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are needed for the non-obese Chinese population. This study was undertaken to investigate: whether serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) was associated with incident NAFLD in the non-obese Chinese population.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study that enrolled 33,153 initially NAFLD-free individuals who underwent a health examination in Wenzhou Medical Center of Wenzhou People’s Hospital from January 2010 to December 2014.Serum GGT levels at the time of enrollment were evaluated in 11,906 persons who follow-up. The relationship between GGT levels and incident NAFLD was analyzed using Cox regression and generalized additive models after adjusting for demographic and clinical variables. In addition, Subgroup analysis was conducted, which was explored by Cox proportional hazard models. It was stated that the data had been downloaded from the DATADRYAD website.ResultsMultivariable Cox regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) for GGT with incident NAFLD after adjusted demographic and clinical variables (HR, 1.010; 95% CI, 1.007–1.012; P < 0.001). The incident NAFLD in the highest quartile of GGT levels was 3.653 times as high (95% confidence interval, 2.915 to 4.579) as that the lowest quartile. A non-linear relationship was firstly detected between GGT and incidence of NAFLD, which had an inflection point of GGT was 26 U/L. The effect sizes and the confidence intervals on the left and right sides of the inflection point were 1.104 (1.089–1.120) and 1.001 (0.999–1.004), respectively. In subgroup analyses, the hazard ratio for incident NAFLD remained consistent across subgroups.ConclusionsIn conclusion, the GGT level in the non-obese Chinese population was statistically significantly associated with incident NAFLD. The relationship between GGT level and incident NAFLD is non-linear. When GGT level is less than 26 U/L, GGT was strong positively with incident NAFLD.
Highlights
Effective and applicable predictors of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are needed for the non-obese Chinese population
In conclusion, the gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) level in the non-obese Chinese population was statistically significantly associated with incident NAFLD
When GGT level is less than 26 U/L, GGT was strong positively with incident NAFLD
Summary
Effective and applicable predictors of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are needed for the non-obese Chinese population. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the excessive deposition of non-alcohol fat in the liver, leading to non-alcohol steatohepatitis [1, 2]. It is a growing public health burden affecting approximately one-quarter of adults worldwide [3, 4] and is considered to be the main cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality [2, 5]. In Chinese, recent studies explore the decreased GGT levels associated with the improvement of metabolic disturbances after the routine treatment of NAFLD [3]. The relationship between the baseline GGT and incident NAFLD should be elucidated
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